Hoist lock for containerized cargo and the like

ABSTRACT

A hoist lock for cargo containers comprising a T-bar arrangement in which the head of the T lies on one side of a support plate through which the shank extends and engages within a slot of a cargo container to lock behind this slot upon rotation of the shank to which a cable-anchoring eye, hook or other formation is attached on the other side of the plate. The shank is provided with a planar surface parallel to a tangent to its circumference and engageable by a latch bar which is pivotally mounted on the plate so that the confronting area of the latch bar and the flat surface of the shank is equal at least to the radius of the shank. The pivot axis for the latch bar may extend parallel to the aforementioned tangent or transversely thereto.

Lombardi Nov. 5, 1974 HOIST LOCK FOR CONTAINERIZED CARGO AND THE LIKE I Inventor: Salvatore Lombardi, 10 Strong PL,

Brooklyn, NY. 11231 Filed: May 23, 1973 Appl. No.: 363,116

US. Cl. 24/221 R, 151/59, 294/83 R Int. Cl. B66c 1/66 Field of Search 294/67 R, 67 D, 67 DA, 294/67 BC, 81 R, 81 SF, 82 R; 24/221 R,

221 A, 221 K, 221 L, 81 E, 230 TC; 248/361 R, 361 A, 119 R, 119 S; 105/366, 369 A, 368

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1973 Last 248/361 A 3,753,272 8/1973 Laidley 105/366 R X Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Assistant Examiner-James L. Rowland Attorney, Agent, or Firm--Karl F. Ross; Herbert Dubno [57] ABSTRACT A hoist lock for cargo containers comprising a T-bar arrangement in which the head of the T lies on one 7 side of a support plate through which the shank extends and engages within a slot of a cargo container to lock behind this slot upon rotation of the shank to which a cable-anchoring eye, hook or other formation is attached on the other side of the plate. The shank is provided with a planar surface parallel to a tangent to its circumference and engageable by a latch bar which is pivotally mounted on the plate so that the confronting area of the latch bar and the flat surface of the shank is equal at least to the radius of the shank. The pivot axis for the latch bar may extend parallel to the aforementioned tangent or transversely thereto.

6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEMUV 5 m4 3,845527 HOIST LOCK FOR CONTAINERIZED CARGO AND THE LIKE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a hoist lock for the lifting and transporting of containerized cargo and, more particularly, to a system for locking the hoist cable to a cargo container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION While various cargo-handling methods are used on dockside, ships, barges and other cargo-handling facilities, increasing interest has been found in the field of containerized cargo or freight. The containers, generally rectangular parallelepipeds, may be filled at a site remote from the dock and can be transported thereto in a sealed condition by truck, rail or barge. On the dockside they may be stacked and may be hoisted upon ships especially designed to carry large numbers of generally similar cargo containers or even ships of conventional design but able to accomodate containers in the hold or on deck space. Frequently during the handling of the container, it must be hoisted by a crane or the like and conventional sling or hook-and-eye methods are not satisfactory. At each corner of the upper and lower surfaces of a container, therefore, it is common to provide a slot-like opening which may be used to accommodate a device at the end of a hoist cable and/or a hold-down or other device by which the container is retained in position on a transport platform, container stack or shipboard surface.

Hoist devices of conventional construction may include a T-arrangement in which the head of the T is dimensioned to fit into the slot along the top of the container and to be rotated through, say, 90 so that the projecting portions of the T underlie the wall portions of the container adjoining the flanks of the slot. The shank of the T may be provided with an eye, loop, hook or other formation to which the cable may be attached directly or indirectly. Such devices are convenient since they utilize the slot provided on the top of the container and cannot damage the latter, while providing a theoretically secure connection between the hoist cable and the container. In practice, however, it is found that the T-shaped member tends to release from the slot and it is not infrequent that one or more of the devices give way when loading a container onto a ship or otherwise transporting the container by a hoist.

It has, therefore, been proposed to provide a plate which surmounts the wall of the container in which the slot is provided and is nonrotatable relative thereto by reason of the engagement of an elongated or noncircular formation on the underside of this plate in a correspondingly shaped portion of the container, i.e. the aforementioned slot itself. The shank of the device may pass rotatably through the plate and a lock may be provided between the upper surface of the plate and the shank to prevent rotation of the shank relative to the plate once the crossbar of the T has been swung out of alignment with the slot.

Conventional locking devices for these purposes have proved to be disadvantageous for numerous reasons. Firstly, they have a tendency to spring open under the considerable axial and torsion stress which is applied to the device as the container is suspended and swung from one position to another. Secondly, engagement of the conventional locking device is timeconsuming and requires considerable manpower so that, for example, four men may be required to lock the four cables of a hoist to respective corners of a container if high-speed loading and unloading operations are desired. Thirdly, conventional locks cannot be manipulated by the gloved hands of a worker in cold weather and hence require more dexterity than is desirable. Finally, conventional locks tend to weaken the shank of the T and hence are unsafe.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These objects and other which will become apparent hereinafter are attained, in accordance with the invention, in a system for connecting a cable or other hoisting member to a container for the transport of containerized cargo, which comprises a plate having an elongated formation or boss on its underside receivable in a slot at a corner of the top of the container and a T-bar rotatable in the plate and having a crossbar of the T shaped to pass through the slot when the aforementioned formation and the T-bar are disposed in registry but swingable into a position orthogonal to the formation to underlie the container wall. The shank of the T passes through the plate, as noted, and isprovided on its free end with an eye, hook or other construction enabling the device to be connected to a hoist cable. The shank of the T, according to an essential feature of the present invention, is formed with a flat surface parallel to a tangent to the circular cross-section of the shank at which the flat surface is provided and advantageously having a length greater than half the diameter of this shank and preferably at least equal to this diameter. The flat surface, moreover, is spaced from the axis of the shank by a distance at'least equal to the radius thereof. A lock is provided to prevent relative rotation of the shank and the plate, in the form of a swingable bar which, in its engaged position, confronts the flat surface formed on the shank and engages same to prevent rotation thereof. The bar is retained against displacement away from the shank at least at two locations spaced apart along the length of the bar. The bar thus may simply be flipped out of the way to clear the flat surface on the shank and permit rotation of the T to release the device from the container. Furthermore, since the center of mass of the bar is located at a distance from its pivot axis, the weight of the bar holds the lock in its engaged position until it is intentionally released.

According to a more specific feature of the invention, the flat surface on the shank is formed by one or metal blocks welded or forged on the shank. The plate may, according to another feature of the invention, be

provided with an upstanding abutment engageable with an end face of this block when the crossbar of the T is in substantial registry with the elongated formation or boss on the underside of the plate to facilitate insertion of the device into the slot of the container.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a latching bar having a pivot axis perpendicular to the tangent of the shank with respect to which the flat surface is parallel, the bar being pivoted at one of its ends for this purpose.

Alternatively, the bar may be pivotal about an axis parallel to this tangent and may be formed with a handle extending transversely to the latter axis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hoist eye embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the plate thereof;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing the lock rotated through 90 relative to the boss of the plate;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, in diagrammatic form, of a shipping container provided with the hoist eyes according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the container;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view through a shank illustrating another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing still another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view through the shank of an eye forming part of yet another device;

FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary elevational view of a portion of the device of FIG. 9 in another operative position.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION In FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawing, there is shown a hoist lock or device enabling the lifting of a container (FIGS. 4 and 5) which is formed along its top surface (or only of its other faces) with respective slots 12 having a length L and a width W, each of the slots being adapted to accommodate locking means for holding the containers together once they are stacked, and for the purposes of the present invention, a hoist lock 41, 42, 43 by which the container may be lifted using a crane or like mechanism in accordance with conventional practices. Each of the devices 41, 42, 43, 45 has an eye through which a hook (18 in FIG. 1) may pass to connect a cable 44 of the hoist to the container.

Each of the hoist locks comprises, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a rectangular plate 10 formed with an elongated boss 11 or its underside (FIGS. 2 and 3) the boss having a length L and a width W respectively slightly less than the length and width of the slot 12 so that the boss 11 may drop into the slot 12 of a wall 13 of the container as illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower surface 11a being disposed slightly below the underside 13a of the wall.

An eye 17 is formed on a generally cylindrical shank 16 rotatable in a bore 14 of the plate and provided. below the surface 11a, with a T-crossbar 15 of a length L and a width W corresponding to those of the boss 11. As shown in FIG. 2, moreover, the underside of the crossbar 15 may be convex or downwardly tapered to enable the hoist lock to be rapidly inserted into the slot 12. When the eye member 15, 16, 17 is rotated from its position of registry with the boss 11 (FIG. 2) through into the position shown in FIG. 3, the crossbar 15 lies at right angles to the boss 11 so that the outwardly extending arms formed by this crossbar engage beneath the wall 13 along the longitudinal edges of the slot and the device is anchored to the container so that the latter may be lifted by a conventional hoist.

To prevent the T-crossbar 15 from rotating back into alignment with the boss 11 during the hoisting operation, there is provided a latch arrangement which can easily be manipulated by the foot or gloved hand of a worker in a simple and convenient manner and without the danger that the latch will work loose.

According to an important feature of the invention, the shank 16 of the T-member 15-17 is provided with a horizontal bar 19 which is welded at 20 to the periphery of the shank and presents a flat linear surface 29 which lies in a vertical plane and confronts a surface 30 of the latch bar 24, the latter is pivotally connected at one end to a pair of trunions 27, 28 (unitarily cast on or machined into the plate 10 or welded thereto) by a pin 26. The upright trunions 27, 28 prevent horizontal displacement of the bar 24 when the latter is in its latching position, as shown in FIG. 1.

At a distance S from the trunions 27, 28, the plate is provided with an upstanding stop 23 preventing outward displacement of the bar 24 and thus supporting the latter against the surface 29 of the block 19 when the device is rotated through 90,-as previously described, so that the surfaces 29 and 30 lie parallel to one another.

The free extremity of bar 24 is formed as a handle 25 disposed above but parallel to the upper surface of the plate. Thus, to permit rotation of the member 15-17 when it is desired to release the device, one need only lift the handle 25 to disengage the bar 24 from the block 19 and permit rotation of the shank 16 to bring the boss 11 and the crossbar 15 into alignment and permit the device to be lifted from slot 12.

The extreme positions of the eye member 15-17 are limited by a pair of stops 21, 22 welded to or formed unitarily with the upper surface 10a of the plate 10.

In FIGS. 6 through 8, there are shown various other configurations of the block and shank which may be used unitarily to the system shown in FIG. 1. For example, a pair of generally triangular block members 32 and 33 may have arcuate hypotenuse portions which are welded to the shank 31 of a T-member to define a surface S which is tangent to the shank 31 and has a length approximately equal to or slightly less than the distance s between the supporting member 23 and the trunions 27, 28 previously described. The length S of the abutment surface of the shank generally should be greater than the radius of the latter and preferably is at least equal to the diameter.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7 a flat 35 is machined into the shank 34 and a rectangular parellelepiped block 36 is welded to this flat, again presenting a flat linear surface of a length greater than the radius of the shank 34.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8, a notch 38 is formed in the shank 37 and the rectangular block 39 is welded in place in this notch.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate another embodiment of the invention wherein the plate 50 is provided with a boss along its underside (not shown) and the shank 52 carries a crossbar of the T as. illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The eye 51 is adapted to receive a hook 18 as shown in FIG. 1 and illustrated in its lifted position, whereas the system of FIG. 1 makes use of a latching bar which is pivotal about an axis parallel to the plate and perpendicular to the engaging surfaces 29 and 30 of engaging surfaces 29 and 30 of the latch. the system of FIGS. 9 and 10 provides a pivot axis which is parallel to the engaging surfaces.

The shank 52 of the device of FIGS. 9 and 10 is provided with a block 53 whose surface 53a confronts a surface 55a of a lateral projection 55 on a bar 54. The latter in mounted on a pivot shaft 58 rotatable in trunions 56 and 57 so that, when the bar 54 is swung upwardly (FIG. 10) the block 53 is permitted to rotate between stops as that illustrated at 60 and 61 in FIG. 9.

The shaft 58 is formed with a handle 59 enabling the latch to be released and adapted to be flippable downwardly when the eye 51 is turned into the position illustrated in FIG. 9. In this position, the crossbar (e.g., member in FIG. 3) lies at right angles to the boss 11 on the underside of the plate.

Of course, other modifications which are mechanically equivalent to those of FIGS. 1 and 9 may be employed. For example, all or part of the block 53 may be pivotal about an axis parallel to the confronting latch surfaces to enable the block to clear the latch when the shank is to be rotated. These and other modifications which are within the ability of a skilled worker in the art are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention except as it may be limited by the appealed claims.

For example, a projection 24a may be provided at the pivoted end of bar 24 to prevent the latter from being swung upwardly through more than, say 100, thereby retaining it in an upright position during anchoring of the latch assembly. The bar is so positioned that the hook 18 holds the bar up and prevents it from swinging down until the eye 17 has rotated to its locking positron.

What is claimed is:

l. A hoist lock for a container having a wall provided with a slot, said lock comprising a plate adapted to overlie said wall and formed on its underside with a boss receivable in said slot; a T-member rotatable in said plate about an axis extending generally transversely thereto, said T-member being formed on the underside of said plate with a crossbar angularly displaceable about said axis from a position of alignment with said boss into a position in which said crossbar underlies said wall along opposite flanks of said slot, a shank extending through said plate and connected to said crossbar, and a formation on said shank along the upper surface of said plate for engagement with said hoist; and a latch bar pivotally mounted on said upper surface of said plate and engageable with a flank of said shank for preventing rotation thereof at least upon disalignment of said crossbar and said boss, said shank being formed with a flat linearly extending surface parallel to said axis, and said bar being provided with a latch surface confronting said shank surface in a locked condition of said shank, said surface of said shank being formed by at least one block rigid with said shank and having a length at least equal to the radius of said shank, said plate being provided with supporting members spaced apart along said bar and preventing lateral displacement thereof upon angular stressing of said T- member in a locking position of said bar, one of said supporting members comprising a pair of trunions, said bar being pivotally mounted in said trunions for swinging movement about an axis parallel to said upper surface and transverse to the bar, the other supporting member being formed as an abutment spaced from said trunions and lying along a flank of said bar opposite that which confronts said shank.

2. The hoist lock defined in claim 1 wherein said upper surface is formed with a pair of abutments engagable with said block in extreme angular position of said T-member.

3. The hoist lock defined in claim 1 wherein said formation is an eye substantially integral with said shank.

4. The hoist lock defined in claim 1 wherein said bar has a free extremity formed with a handle spaced above said upper surface of said plate for enabling lifting of said bar to release said T-member for angular displacement.

5. A hoist lock for a container having a wall provided with a slot, said lock comprising a plate adapted to overlie said wall and formed on its underside with a boss receivable in said slot; a T-member rotatable in said plate about an axis extending generally transversely thereto, said T-member being formed on the underside of said plate with a crossbar angularly displaceable about said axis from a position of alignment with said boss into a position in which said crossbar underlies said wall along opposite flanks of said slot, a shank extending through said plate and connected to said crossbar, and a formation on said shank along the upper surface of said plate for engagement with said hoist; and a latch bar pivotally mounted on said upper surface of said plate and engageable with a flank of said shank for preventing rotation thereof at least upon disalignment of said crossbar and said boss, said shank being formed with a flat linearly extending surface parallel to said axis, and said bar being provided with a latch surface confronting said shank surface in a locked condition of said shank, said surface of said shank being formed by at least one block rigid with said shank and having a length at least equal to the radius of said shank, said plate being provided with supporting members spaced apart along said bar and preventing lateral displacement thereof upon angular stressing of said T- member in a locking position of said bar, said supporting members being trunions formed on the upper surface of said plate and pivotally mounting said bar for rotation about an axis parallel to the bar and to said upper surface of said plate.

6. The hoist lock defined in claim 5, further comprising a handle operatively connected to said bar and pivoting same about its axis. 

1. A hoist lock for a container having a wall provided with a slot, said lock comprising a plate adapted to overlie said wall and formed on its underside with a boss receivable in said slot; a T-member rotatable in said plate about an axis extending generally transversely thereto, said T-member being formed on the underside of said plate with a crossbar angularly displaceable about said axis from a position of alignment with said boss into a position in which said crossbar underlies said wall along opposite flanks of said slot, a shank extending through said plate and connected to said crossbar, and a formation on said shank along the upper surface of said plate for engagement with said hoist; and a latch bar pivotally mounted on said upper surface of said plate and engageable with a flank of said shank for preventing rotation thereof at least upon disalignment of said crossbar and said boss, said shank being formed with a flat linearly extending surface parallel to said axis, and said bar being provided with a latch surface confronting said shank surface in a locked condition of said shank, said surface of said shank being formed by at least one block rigid with said shank and having a length at least equal to the radius of said shank, said plate being provided with supporting members spaced apart along said bar and preventing lateral displacement thereof upon angular stressing of said T-member in a locking position of said bar, one of said supporting members comprising a pair of trunions, said bar being pivotally mounted in said trunions for swinging movement about an axis parallel to said upper surface and transverse to the bar, the other supporting member being formed as an abutment spaced from said trunions and lying along a flank of said bar opposite that which confronts said shank.
 2. The hoist lock defined in claim 1 wherein said upper surface is formed with a pair of abutments engagable with said block in extreme angular position of said T-member.
 3. The hoist lock defined in claim 1 wherein said formation is an eye substantially integral with said shank.
 4. The hoist lock defined in claim 1 wherein said bar has a free extremity formed with a handle spaced above said upper surface of said plate for enabling lifting of said bar to release said T-member for angular displacement.
 5. A hoist lock for a container having a wall provided with a slot, said lock comprising a plate adapted to overlie said wall and formed on its underside with a boss receivable in said slot; a T-member rotatable in said plate about an axis extending generally transversely thereto, said T-member being formed on the underside of said plate with a crossbar angularly displaceable about said axis from a position Of alignment with said boss into a position in which said crossbar underlies said wall along opposite flanks of said slot, a shank extending through said plate and connected to said crossbar, and a formation on said shank along the upper surface of said plate for engagement with said hoist; and a latch bar pivotally mounted on said upper surface of said plate and engageable with a flank of said shank for preventing rotation thereof at least upon disalignment of said crossbar and said boss, said shank being formed with a flat linearly extending surface parallel to said axis, and said bar being provided with a latch surface confronting said shank surface in a locked condition of said shank, said surface of said shank being formed by at least one block rigid with said shank and having a length at least equal to the radius of said shank, said plate being provided with supporting members spaced apart along said bar and preventing lateral displacement thereof upon angular stressing of said T-member in a locking position of said bar, said supporting members being trunions formed on the upper surface of said plate and pivotally mounting said bar for rotation about an axis parallel to the bar and to said upper surface of said plate.
 6. The hoist lock defined in claim 5, further comprising a handle operatively connected to said bar and pivoting same about its axis. 